How to arrange your documents before you submit them to the Consulate in person or by mail Before submitting your documents please check our instruction about type of visa you are requesting and if you have complete set of documents, have them arranged in the following order beginning from the top:

1. Money order/company check
2. Passport
3. Valid invitation (business/tourist/private)
4. Cover letter
5. Application form (with one photo glued or stapled to the place for photo)
6. Copy of passport's vital page (s)
7. Prepaid self-addressed return registered mail envelope (if applying by mail)

It is a common knowledge that it is a courtesy of any country to allow entrance on its territory. Permission to enter the Russian Federation is as well a courtesy of the State. In accordance with the International Law, the Consulate in certain cases reserves the right to consider your visa applications for as long as it deems necessary. The Consulate may request additional documentation. Personal interview with an applicant can be requested by Consular official. Visa can be denied if the Consulate has reasons to believe that the Applicant's visit to the Russian Federation is not desirable. Disclosure of the reason for denial can be withheld. Visa processing fees received from the applicant are not refundable. If you are applying by mail you should follow the usual rules and in addition submit a self-addressed pre-paid envelope, showing you both as shipper and recipient. Otherwise, your visa will not be processed. We do not mail passports by regular mail. To expedite delivery and to avoid your correspondence being lost in mail, such services as provided by FedEx, DHL or Airborne Express are accepted. Envelopes marked "Bill Sender", "Bill Credit Card", "Collect", "Bill Recipient" or C.O.D. ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Please send a pre-paid envelope of any above mentioned registered mail OR indicate your account number with FedEx, DHL or Airborne Express which will be billed by those mail carriers, make sure it is valid, otherwise there will be a delay in order to verify it. Please, do not tear off the top sheet of air-bill (i.e. “Senders Copy”). The Consulate will not be responsible for any loss or mishandling of the mail by regular Postal Service or any other delivery & mail carriers.

Sorry, no copy, photo or other printing or computer-related services.

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Children Children apply for separate visas if they travel on their own passports. If parents do not accompany their child during the trip, they must confirm in an affidavit their consent for their child's travel. If the child's surname differs from that of his (her) parents, a copy of the child's birth certificate must be enclosed.

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Guests of foreign diplomatic staff Guests of the employees of the Foreign Diplomatic and Consular Missions in Russia are advised to obtain an invitation or verbal note from the Mission addressed to the Russian Consulate in San Francisco. The invitation must be dated and carry a seal and a registration number. (Sometimes, Foreign Missions in Russia prefer to process their invitations through the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this case, the invitation or the verbal note is not required).

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Visas for EU citizens A facilitated visa agreement between the European Union and the Russian Federation became effective on June 1, 2007. The agreement applies only to citizens of the European Union (except Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark) and sets a uniform fee for EU applicants. The visa fee for EU citizens irrespective of purpose of travel is $50 for single and multiple entry visas. The fee for express visas which are issued within 3 business day is $100.

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Former USSR and Russian citizens Applicants who used to be citizens of the USSR or of the Russian Federation and then emigrated from the USSR or from Russia must submit: one of the documents which confirms that they are no longer citizens of the Russian Federation (so called "Visa to Israel" or stamp in their passport saying that they left for "permanent residence abroad" before the 6th of February, 1992 or official document certifying that their Russian citizenship was abrogated), otherwise the applications will not be accepted.

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German citizens German citizens on the basis of reciprocity may apply for Visa to Russia at the Russian Consular Missions in the US only if they have a US Permanent Resident or US Resident Alien status ("green card"). In all other cases they have to apply for Russian Visa at the Russian Consular Missions in Germany.

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Health insurance Official hospital HIV (AIDS) Test Certificate is required along with your paperwork if you apply for a visa valid for more than 3 months.

No medical insurance is officially required for the US citizens,, unless they stay in Russia for 6 months or more. Prior to your visit, consult your medical insurance issuer for details.

Mandatory medical insurance insurance on the basis of reciprocity is required for the citizens of Estonia, Israel and Finland, as well as for the citizens of Schengen Agreement Member-States (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and other Schengen states).

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Double-entry Visa Double-entry Visa is issued for two entries if indicated in invitation. All arrival and departure dates must be indicated.

Assistance can be provided by:

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